I am going to start out with the Postcarden because I was having a rough morning and this managed to make me smile.

I had to feature the photos here, here, and here first because they are beautiful and second because they are taken in North Carolina.

Digital Photography School did a two part article on backing up your images.  View part one here, part two here.

How cute are these “paper pastry” boxes?

Love these flowers made out of sheet music.

This is a cute idea for a favor for a 30th birthday party.

These pillows covered in ribbon are lovely.

Breaking the Rules

The custom hanger in the second image is perfect for your wedding dress.

Great details in this wedding like the money provided for cab fare.

French DIY inspiration.

Some inspiration from Bride Chic: swirl and red poppies

Last but not least images from the worldwide photo walk here and here.

I have been working on the new website for a while now, but it is all worth it now that it is done!  Go see it at www.mollietobiasphotography.com.  You probably have also noticed the new blog layout as well.  It my take a little bit for me to go back and update all of the blog posts now that they are transferred to the new address.  Speaking of the NEW BLOG ADDRESS, be sure to update your bookmarks and RSS subscriptions to reflect the change in address so that you can keep receiving updates.  I would love to know what y’all think of the new design!  If you like what you see be sure to click on “Share Site” and share the new website on your Facebook or Twitter page.  See you back here on Friday.

These cakes really are works of art and so detailed.

Magnetic wide angle and macro lenses for your camera phone

Tips on planning a progressive dinner party.

Wedding in a Japanese garden.

Watermelon sugar inspiration.

Paris meets Morocco wedding inspiration.

San Francisco wedding

And a Savannah wedding from my old stomping ground.

Have a great weekend!

First, this is not a conspiracy.  Yes, Erica did also win last year but on the photo walk website I could not see the names of the participants attached to each photo until after the winner was chosen and I purposely did not go look at the Flickr group pool so that I would not be biased.  I guess that Erica and I just see the world in a very similar way.

What was it about this photo that made me decide to choose it as the winner?  Here we go:

Perfect exposure.  There are no blown out highlights and there is ample detail in the shadow areas.

Sharpness.  The image is tack sharp without evidence of artificial sharpening in Photoshop.

Composition.  As you can see on the diagram below, the image was composed using the rule of thirds which gives the image a balanced but dynamic appearance.  Also, the shallow depth of field draws the eye into the image and focuses the viewers attention on the subject.  This combined with the fact that the center of the flower is the darkest part of the image makes it very clear where the subject of the image lies.  Our “subject” also has plenty of space to look into in the image as well.

Color.  The image is lively and interesting.

Good subject choice.  Granted, flowers are not exactly an original subject for photography, but the incest on this flower in particular is one that makes you stare at it and wonder what it is.

Texture.  Between the center of the flower, the insect, and the smooth flower petals there are a lot of interesting textures in the image.

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the walk this year and I look forward to seeing you all again next year!

If you really want the look of custom invitations but don’t have a huge budget, steal an idea from this post and have a custom designed stamp made.  These stamps are usually pretty inexpensive and can be re-used and kept as keepsakes.

neat business cards here.

Stitch Design Company stationary

Free formal crest download from maemae paperie

I actually took the time to paper my rolodex by hand, but lucky for you, you can buy this one already done.

Cool font: Gig poster hipster

If you are having a second marriage or are getting married older and already have your household goods set, register for your honeymoon instead.

Cool brown and white 30th birthday invites

Since I am now into tracing my family tree, I think these wedding genealogies are neat.

Some info and tutorials:

4 rules of photographic composition

10 more composition tricks

How to get the best from your wedding photographer

DIY water droplet studio

DIY ribbon medallions

A good article on Jasmine Star’s blog that talks about coordinating with a planner and getting weddings published.

And now some pretty stuff!

Wildflower berry

crustacean inspiration

love the dusty blue and peach scheme of this outdoor wedding.

Awesome wedding ideas.

Retro Palm Springs wedding

Like how these ideas are vintage with a nod to the military but still subtle and pretty.

Fairies!

And because I am always thinking with my stomach, mushroom and swiss sliders with spicy fry sauce

Have a super weekend!

From DWF, did you know that people can print your photos off facebook?  Read this.

Free download for a Glam girls night out Bachelorette party invitation.

Romantic woodsy wedding ideas

Macro photography tutorial

New product: memolio

The cake in this post is so intricate and lovely

The last photo in this post is so Carey Grant and I love it.

Intro to bird photography

Crafting an image in Lightroom

Green, yellow, and magenta color palette (LOVE)

Pink and ocean mood board and a Florida inspired one here.

DIY cocktail party invite.

If you like the kindle TV ads then you will think this is adorable.

And last but not least an article about second shooting.

Have an amazing weekend!